Kammie Richter - Acting on Clutter

Acting on

Clutter

Kammie Richter
Marilyn Myers
Bev Johns

Copyright 2017 by Kammie Richter, Marilyn Myers, Bev Johns

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including but not limited to, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author.

ISBN: 978-1-946598-08-0

Truth Book Publishers
www.truthbookpublishers.com

Printed in the United States of America.

Dedicated to our sisters in Lambda State of Delta Kappa Gamma who brought us together and encouraged us to write this book.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Erikas husband and her two teenage children were tired of the cluttered kitchen and bathroom counters and the basement that was hard to walk in. While the house was dusted and vacuumed, Erika just could not bear to part with much of it.

Erika worked full time and was smart enough to realize that her classroom where she was a teacher was also cluttered. Alicia, her friend, asked Erika if her husband and children would help her. Erika replied that the problem was hers. They were more than willing to help her but she always made excuses about why she did not have time to get rid of all the clutter. She had more important things to do than clean. Alicia was not sure how she could help Erika. Erika told Alicia her family was considering a family meeting to discuss an intervention for her because she had just too many items with no place to put it.

Have you ever thought your family might want to call an intervention for you because you just have too much stuff? You want to start cleaning but you do not know where to start. Congratulations, you have taken the first step. You are reading this book to help you get started. You have recognized that you need help.

This book is designed to provide you with practical step by step directions on how to get your life back in control and to be clutter free.

In a Redbook survey conducted with 1,000 women 80% consider themselves organized but 72% still spend five minutes and some up to 20 minutes looking for misplaced items every day. The top three types of clutter included a junk drawer, an overstuffed closet, and piles of paper. Thirty percent of those in the survey reported having a whole room that is just for stuff that has no other spot. Because of chaos and clutter, 45% of individuals get charged for being late for paying a bill. (Rollins, 2016).

This useful guide outlines the reasons why we should declutter often and provides the practical tips you need to do it. Decluttering is a lifelong endeavor and we will explain how to approach it this way.

We all realize what we need to do to free ourselves from all the stuff we accumulate, but realization does not translate into action. This book not only provides you with the knowledge but also provides you with the action steps you can take to become clutter free.

Checklists are provided for each chapter and suggested actions are provided. This book is written by three women educators who have had to downsize several times in their lives and have learned the importance of accepting the process as a way of life. The book includes case examples throughout.

References:

Rollins, M. (Editor), 2016. Spill your secrets. Redbook, September, 2016. P. 15.

Chapter One

Downsizing as a Way of Life

Linda, a school teacher, loved to lead the simple life. She found great joy in the little things in life. She was a goal-setter who cleaned as she went. She had small closets so when she purchased something new she discarded another item.

Lindas classroom was neat and well organized. She taught her students that before you go home each day, you clean out your desk and discard what you do not need. In the summer she loved to travel and she took wonderful trips to Europe, among other places. She traveled light with only carry-on luggage and took a small additional empty bag that she could fold up to use for any souvenirs she purchased for others.

One summer a fellow teacher, Analise, invited her to go to Hong Kong for two weeks with her. Linda readily agreed and knew Analise was very congenial. The two talked about packing and Linda explained she was going to travel light.

The morning they were to catch their flight they met at the airport. Imagine Lindas surprise when Analise showed up with a carry-on bag plus two large bags to check, in addition to a large empty fold-up bag to bring home all of her purchases. Analise had packed two changes of clothes for each day, five pairs of shoes, and numerous cosmetic items.

Linda had accepted the simple life and was very organized and only got what she needed. Analise, on the other hand, was consumed by material items and had to have many choices of clothing and jewelry. She cluttered the room with the stuff she brought on the trip and then kept buying more items. Linda quickly figured out that she would not be traveling again with Analise.

We probably all know people who lead the simple life and do not have a lot of objects. Moving is easy for them, traveling is easier for them, and as we look at them we think that they live the easy good life. We know those individuals who are very well organized and everything they have is in its place. We wonder how they do it and we are envious that their life and surroundings are simple. They make it look easy.

It is not always easy, especially if we love things and love to accumulate things. We do not want to throw anything away because we may need it in the future. It can only become easy for us to purge if we adopt the philosophy that we will set a goal to make downsizing a way of life. We can take basic steps to make downsizing a habit one day at a time. We must adopt the adage; an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. We have to talk ourselves through those frequent crises we face where we tell ourselves we just have to have that one item. We have to set small goals each day. Lastly, we have to elicit the help of others in meeting our goals and we have to learn from those individuals.

One Day at a Time

After watching the summer Olympics in 2016 we are in awe about how Michael Phelps can swim so extraordinarily, or how Simone Biles can jump so exquisitely. They practiced daily even on the days they did not feel like practicing because they knew that the more they did it, the better they would get at it.

If you want to simplify your life from clutter, it takes practice every day. We have to try to do at least a little bit. We cannot make excuses. When you do even a small amount each day it is more likely that cleaning will become a way of life for you. Doing a little bit each day provides practice and makes it easier each time you do it.

We may find ourselves guilty of procrastination. We look for excuses for why we cannot clean that drawer out or do not want to even go up into our attic. The world is full of procrastinators, and although they may be very talented individuals they may never accomplish their goals because they consistently find other things to do. It is all a matter of priorities. Those who accomplish a great deal are persistent. They take one day at a time and keep their eye on the goal and work toward it by persevering and not making excuses.

Catch Yourself When You Are Making Excuses

Successful individuals do not make excuses; they keep going. We live in a society today where everyone has excuses and others must be to blame. Unfortunate things happen to us and often it is out of our control, but we can control our response to those bad things. When someone asks us, is the glass half empty or half full? It is all about how we perceive things and what our attitude is. If we are positive that we can turn things around and live a clutter free life, then we can do it. If we believe that we will always live in a messy house and just have too many things and cannot throw anything away, then that is exactly what will happen to us.